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Make These 10 Text Message Marketing Trends Work for You in 2023
These ten text message marketing trends can help drive engagement and revenue growth for brands in an unprecedented 2023.
These ten text message marketing trends can help drive engagement and revenue growth for brands in an unprecedented 2023.
As we round out another year, the times, they are a-changing.
The need for instant gratification has forced marketers to make quicker decisions and stand out more. The emergence of quick deliveries, instant mobile shopping, and doorstep food delivery has fueled our need to have what we want, when we want it.
Companies have found that SMS marketing is the most effective way to deliver that hit of dopamine, giving customers what they’re looking for right in the palm of their hands.
Now that more businesses are texting (27% more in 2022 than the previous year, in fact), we can expect savvy marketers to tweak their strategies using automation, brand campaigns, and personalization.
We can also expect to see marketers – impressed by texting’s high engagement – use it for other means such as customer retention and influencer marketing.
So while we can’t predict the future, we are confident that these are ten SMS marketing trends to watch in 2023:
As text message marketing becomes more popular, businesses need to find ways to stand out in the inbox. One way to do this is through personalization. Consumers are more likely to engage with text messages that feel like they’re meant just for them.
73% of consumers will only engage with marketing that’s tailored to their interests, so why wouldn’t you want to personalize your messaging?
Crafting personalized SMS messages will make your customers feel valued and heard. This could mean sending a text message on a customer’s birthday, including their name in the message, or offering a discount for their favorite product.
A 10-digit long code (also known as a 10DLC) is a local phone number that’s perfect for text message marketing because it allows businesses to send texts at scale while still providing a personal touch.
They’re a great way to build trust with customers, since they look like a phone number from the contact’s local area, instead of a short code or toll-free number.
Local numbers are also more reliable, as they’re less likely to be blocked by carriers. And because they look more like a typical phone number (as opposed to a toll-free number that starts with 1-800), customers are more likely to trust and remember them.
Note: If you choose a local number, you’ll need to register it with wireless carriers. Our team makes the process super simple when you upgrade to a paid plan!
SMS messaging is a great way to provide customer service. These days, many customers (especially millennials) prefer texting customer service representatives over talking on the phone because it’s more convenient and flexible.
SMS can help with many customer service functions, including:
By definition, no one likes unsolicited or spammy messages.
The good news is, in 2023, you can say goodbye to unwanted texts. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new requirements that require mobile wireless providers to block SMS messages at the network level that are sourced from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers, and numbers on a DNO (Do-Not-Originate) list.
These requirements will help eliminate spam SMS messages across the board, which is a win for everyone. Recipients can trust the messages they get, and the requirements are helping SMS become a safe and effective marketing channel that businesses can rely on.
Omnichannel marketing is the practice of using multiple channels to reach your customers. And SMS marketing will be a key part of any omnichannel marketing strategy in 2023.
Omnichannel marketing allows businesses to meet customers where they are and provide a seamless experience, regardless of the channel.
So, if a customer starts their journey on your website but doesn’t complete a purchase, you can trigger a text message that reminds them of what’s in their cart. That’s the beauty of integrating an SMS service with your e-commerce platform.
Think of SMS as a way to complement your other channels like email. Using them together can help ensure that your message is seen by the customers who have opted in to get your updates. And those people are the ones who will ultimately be buyers of your brand.
As budgets get tighter and marketing departments shift in 2023, marketers will be in need of a low-cost option that provides a quick way to serve large customer bases.
The need to reach customers through conversational marketing, transactional messaging, and promotions or offers will always exist, despite a company’s limited headcount or marketing budget.
SMS marketing gives marketers an opportunity to spend less and still communicate effectively in a targeted and personalized way.
Customers are 4.5x more likely to respond to a text message than a marketing email, so shifting communication efforts to SMS in 2023 is a great way to extend your marketing dollars.
As text message marketing continues to grow, we expect to see more influencers embrace SMS as a way to reach their audience.
SMS is the perfect channel for influencers because it’s personal and intimate. Influencers can build one-to-one relationships with their fans and followers by text message, which is something they can’t do on other channels like YouTube or Instagram.
Texting also allows influencers to reach their fans and followers anytime and anywhere. So, if an influencer is out of the country and doesn’t have access to their phone or computer, they can still text their fans and followers.
Text message marketing is a great way to increase sales and drive revenue. But it can also be used for other purposes, like appointment reminders, shipping information, order updates, and company-wide announcements. It can even be used as an internal resource for company HR departments.
For example, text messages can be used to communicate with potential employees for interviews and hiring updates.
Candidates are often left hanging after an interview, leading them to assume they didn’t get the position. Text messages can be used to let them know where they are in the process, what steps are next, and if they are invited back for a second interview.
Now more than ever, customers appreciate the relationships they have with their favorite brands.
While a call center with a large team of customer service representatives may seem like your best bet for building customer relationships, that requires a lot of expenses and a large employee headcount. SMS is a great alternative for relationship building, as it allows for a potentially high volume of two-way conversations that can be personalized to customers.
These interactions are faster and more convenient for both parties.
If a customer is having an issue with their delivery, they can easily reach a customer service rep via SMS without wasting time listening to hold music. They can clearly state their problem with a text message and can receive a reply back directly from the company in record time.
In a time when patience is low and the need for immediate answers is key, providing customers with quick and easy troubleshooting is key to building and retaining those relationships.
Some brands already use automation to personalize their text messages, set those texts up to send automatically, and text customer segments (or, groups of contacts with something in common). And, because it’s so simple to set up, more and more small businesses are adopting it.
Automation can be used to personalize text messages so they feel more human and are more likely to be read and engaged with. We call this conversational marketing.
It can also be used to set text messages to send on their own so businesses can save time and money.
If your customer service team is inundated with inquiries during the holiday season, you can use automated texts to guide each customer to helpful articles or determine if they need to speak with an actual person.
You may find that most customers’ questions can be answered with the information that’s already on your website, they just need a clear path to find it.
And finally, automation can be used together with customer segments based on contacts’ habits and interests.
For example, a customer who has made a purchase in the last month is more likely to be interested in text messages about new products than a customer who hasn’t purchased anything in the last six months.
The business they both bought from can take that data and create the right message for each buyer using segments.
By segmenting customers, businesses can send text messages that are more relevant and targeted, which leads to higher engagement rates.
Text message marketing is shaping up to be an essential channel for small to medium-sized businesses in 2023.
From personalization and automation to influencer SMS marketing and beyond, there’s no shortage of text message marketing trends to watch out for.
All that to say, if you’re not already texting your customers, now is the time to start. It’s a great way to increase sales, drive revenue, and build one-to-one relationships with your customers.
Sign up with SimpleTexting’s free trial to kick-start your 2023 SMS marketing campaigns.
Dani Henion is the content team lead at SimpleTexting and is continuously looking for ways to make text messaging strategies and tips more accessible to SMBs. When she's not writing or planning new SMS content, you'll find her decorating elaborate sugar cookies or thrifting in Atlanta.
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